London: Favorite Things?
 

As news of another spate of terrorist attacks on London transportation unfolds i'm prompted to ask you what are your favorite Top Ten things to do in London - i for one will not be deterred from traveling to London and seek to whet the appetite of others to do so... PLEASE JOIN IN TO SAY WHAT A GREAT TOWN LONDON IS!

MY TOP TEN FAVORITE THINGS TO DO IN LONDON (In no particular order)
1-Riding on the top deck of a double-decker bus and taking in the sights from a bird's eye view
2-Sitting and picnicking on a bench on the South Bank by the Charing Cross bridge watching the non-stop flow of pedstrians, skateboarders, river boats and trains constantly rumbling across the bridge to Charing Cross station.
3-Eating greasy Fish & Chips fresh from a 'chippie'
4-Having a pint of ale or lager at any pub
5-Watching the buskers perform and crowds milling around Covent Garden
6-Riding the tube
7-Strolling along the South Bank between the London Eye and London Bridge
8-Taking the escalators up the Trocadero Center and seeing just how tacky the place is
9-Taking in a play - any play - the theatre is often as interesting as the play
10-Strolling thru Hyde Park, watching the boaters on the Serpentine, having tea at an outdoor cafe.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE LONDON THINGS?

Wandering through all of the book shops.
Afternoon tea.
Indian food.
Free museums.
The tube.
Catching a show at the Globe.

I have a trip planned to London for the end of August and will not be deterred.

At 6.15 on a sunny evening in London a pint in one of our 28,000 pubs seems like an excellent idea. So that's exactly what I'm going to go and do right now.

I just don't visit bookshops..too much suffering ..I cannot take the whole bookshop with me :)

I have been in London only once..so my favourite things are not choosen between hundreds of things but I loved shopping at Whiteleys, the V&A restaurant, the National Gallery, a pub in front of Victoria Train Station (I can't recall its name now ! ) and just go walking a bit in "secondary" streets where most of the times you can't believe you are in the biggest city of Europe, it makes you feel that you are in a little village :)

1) Going to the Tate Museum & the Tate Modern, and enjoying the little boat ride on the Thames to get from one museum to the other. (The Turner paintings in the Tate are wonderful, and their dining room for luncheon is top-notch!)

2) Chatting with Londoners who will comment on your accent. I found everyone pleasant and polite, and interested sincerely in my job.

3) Taking tea. This is such a civil ritual, and Londoners, bless them, live in a highly-populated, productive city, but they manage to have time for this.

4) The Victoria and Albert Museum. I could spent 3 whole days here if I had the time!

5) The London Eye. I know a lot of Londoners find it tacky, but it was closed when I was last there for repairs, and that only whet my curiosity!

6) Boots the Chemist. If you're a woman, I need say nothing more. If you're a man, you probably don't understand it, but it's worthwhile to take your wife or sweetheart there and let her shop til she almost drops.

7) Covent Garden. I love this area! Walking about there, I can almost hear Eliza Doolittle singing about how all she wants is a room somewhere far away from the cold night air. Nice shops, and nice places to grab a bit to eat. Close to the theaters, too.

8) Neal's Yard Dairy. If you like cheese even remotely, it is well worth a visit. The knowledgeable personnel will tell you how cheeses are made, and let you sample some, too.

9) Trafalgar Square and Picadilly Circus, just for the atmosphere.

10) Wonderful restaurants! Even if you don't enjoy "typical pub fare", the city is replete with excellent Italian, Chinese, Indian, and other eateries.

My general experience is that the town has something to offer everyone, and that the people were kind, polite, intelligent, and very welcoming. I probably won't be headed to Europe again until early 2006 at the earliest, but I can sincerely recommend London!

BC

Here are a few favorites, in no particular order:

1) Standing/sitting on top of Primrose Hill, taking in all the sights below.

2) Walking through Regent's Park--it's so beautiful and I never get enough of it! I really love when the roses are blooming.

3) Walking through St. James Park and stopping to watch the birds out on the water.

4) All of the historic buildings all around the city--walking amoung all of the history that's taken place there always gets to me.

5) Riding on the top of a double decker bus, on the front seats. Great views! I could ride up there for hours.

6) Shopping in Marks and Spencers!

Doing a pub crawl in Soho in the middle of the summer!
Then a slapup curry!

Walking around Eaton Square looking at the gorgeous houses.

"My" Gloucester Road neighborhood.

Seeing Sherlock Holmes, complete with cape and deerstalker, walking down Baker Street to 221B.

Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey area.

Seeing the museums, the Globe, the Dickens House.

Sticky Toffee Pudding / Treacle Tart.

Seeing a play.

Just being there.

Oh, God ! Dickens' House, I forgot to say it :) It was very special too !!

My favorite things in London?
In no particular order:
1. Westminster Abbey
2. Tower of London and the Beefeaters
3. Afternoon tea at the Ritz
4. Any theater
5. Globe Theatre
6. Boat ride on the Thames
7. View of Parliament and Big Ben
8. Strolling around Covent Garden
9. Seeing double decker buses, red phone booths, London bobbies, British pubs
10. Londoners

1. The Proms at Royal Albert Hall.
2. Massed Welsh Male Choirs at Royal Albert Hall.
3. OK. Just about anything at Royal Albert Hall. We have tickets for the Trafalgar Anniversary Concert on Oct. 22 and we will be there.
4. Shopping in Sainsbury's on Cromwell Road. (Hey, Carolyn, that's my Gloucester Road station.)
5. Walking across the bridge from Festival Hall to Embankment Station after a concert.
6. Getting half price tickets at Leicester Square for an ENO performance.
7. Wandering through the parks.
8. St. Mary Abbot's churchyard.
9. The memorials to Taffy and Mackerel in the churchyard at St. James Picadilly.
10. Lunchtime concerts at St. Martin in the Fields.

Stopping at 10 is almost impossible, I haven't even gotten to the museums yet.

Going to Camden Passage looking for oldies but goodies, taking the boat that passes the Cutty Sac to Greenwich.
Pub crawling with my friends there.

vcl - could you elaborate on the memorials to Taffy and Mackerel at St Mary Abbot's churchyard - and where is the church. I'm always looking for off-beat things to see in London!

The memorials to Taffy, a homeless man who spent much of his time in the garden, and Mackerel, the parish cat, are at St. James Picadilly.
St. Mary Abbot is a wonderful Victorian church in English Gothic style just off Kensington High Street. If you come out of the High Stret Kensington station, turn right past Marks and Spenser, and look across the street, you can see the entrance just beyond the flower-seller's stall.

Attend lectures, such as at ancient Barnard's Inn Hall or Staple Inn Hall.

Lunchtime concerts in the City, such as organ recital every Wednesday at Temple Church (with picnic lunch ahead among the roses at Middle Temple Garden/ or under the old tree at Elm Court).

In windy witer night/ balmy spring evening, after concerts in South Bank Centre, walk along Hungerford's Footbridge across the Thamas.

Stroll around the empty Square Mile during weekend.

Visit Borough Market on Saturday morning, and have a cheese sandwich.

Attend concerts at Wren's churches, and pantomime before Christmas.

Check out less visited squares and little gardens; but the morning walk in St.James Park is a must, rain or shine.

Visit National Gallery for several favorite paintings, everyday sometimes.

Take buses to visit London boroughs, it seems different village in each one.

Visit new museums/ galleries.

Seeing old friends
Drinks in my favorite pub
Finding a great new pub
Finding a new hole in the wall music club

In winter -- going to a Panto at Christmas time, and eating warm chestnuts from a street vendor.

PalQ, this is a great idea for a thread. The coverage here in the US has been pretty sparse, considering the threat and our close relations. London is a great city and deserves to be remembered for its greatness.

My 2 cents:

- The Treasures Room at the British Library (I couldn't believe I was inches from these priceless documents that have shaped Western civilization!)
- Free museums, especially the extensive Turner exhibit at the Tate Britain.
- Seeing a show at a West End theater
- Getting deep fried apple pies at McDonald's (I think they may have finally been phased out in 2005)
- Laughing at the smallest hotel room I could imagine, especially when my feet were in the shower when I sat on the toilet.
- Remembering favorite lines while taking a moment to pause at the Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey.
- Cornish pasties!
- And when the doors of the Tube trains open, hearing the voice say, "Mind the gap."

I'm just back from two weeks in Europe, beginning with a week in London. Some of my favorite things:

Observing the stimulating variety of people, languages, and styles of dress seen on the streets.

Visiting the accompanying great variety of shops and restaurants reflecting the diverse population.

Attending a production at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

Walking along the Thames and seeing the number of bridges, museums, river walkways, and new buildings built in recent years, making the city seem vibrant and growing in cultural attractions.

Riding in a narrow boat from Little Venice to Camden Lock and walking through the market there.

As an American, talking to people and seeing instances of linguistic, cultural and political similarities and differences.

Hmmm... top 10 only, huh?

Seeing 2000 year old structures next to modern buildings

Knowing that I'm standing in the center of European Civilization (as I know it).

Watching the Thames traffic -- both on the water and on the road next to it.

Hearing all the delightful accents around me -- british, scottish, welsh, indian, japanese, etc.

"Mind the gap!!!"

Riding the tube -- what wonderful people watching it is!

Stopping to listen to street musicians.

Sitting in an outside cafe, listening to the sounds of the city, enjoying a pint.

Finding a new pub and meeting the locals

Sitting in Hyde Park on a sunny afternoon for more people watching

Watching the suicide game of traffic that I don't have to drive in because of the wonderful underground :)

Ooops, that's more than 10!

I always must visit Regent's Park and St. James Park -- my absolute favorite things to do in London.

One of my favorite memories about London, is how I just fell in love with riding the tube, the convenience it brings, the speed and the exercise -- going up and down those stairs -- I even bought a mouse pad of the tube system. As a result, my heart was broken 2 weeks ago, not to mention feeling bad for all the Londoners.

All the parks, I loved just walking through the parks.

Big Ben

A certain street in Earl's court, I unfortunately don't remember the name, but it was such a cozy residential neighborhood.

The people, I found everyone warm and friendly.

The whole city! It's hard in a way to narrow it down to just a few things, but I just loved the whole feeling of the city!

vcl, that's *my* Sainsbury's. It's where I buy all my Cadbury Fruit & Nut bars that I bring home and hide and don't share with anybody.

My daughter and I will be in London that same week in October. I've checked with Kavey, and she will be in town, as will another poster I know. Think we could manage a small tea party GTG?

Thanks for starting this thread, PalQ.
Great idea!

I'm another who prefers to stay close to Gloucester Road, and usually manage to find a reason to hit either Sainsbury's or that Waitrose right by the tube station every day while I'm in London.

And I LOVE the tube! I love the tube signs. I love the names of some of the stations. I bought a little book at the Transport Museum on how the tube stations got their names - pretty interesting. Some were named after nearby pubs.

Many of my London favs are included in other people's lists above.
Some more,

The more obscure and/or less visited museums such as the National Postal Museum, the Ragged School Museum, the Cuming Museum, Prince Henry's Room, the Geffrye Museum, Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum, Bank of England Museum, Museum of the Order of St John, National Army Museum, that type of thing. For instance, I had the Bramah Museum of Tea & Coffee all to myself!

The many former homes of famous dead guys you can go through: Dickens, Sir John Soane, Dr. Johnson, Leighton, Carlyle, Linley Sambourne, Handel, Keats and more!

The current homes of dead guys (some famous, most not, but still quite interesting) you can go through. Highgate Cemetery and Kensal Green Cemetery spring to mind.

Riding the London Eye at dusk. Or a boat ride on the Thames at dusk, from Westminster to the Tower.

The smell. London has a distinctive "aroma". A mixture of grass and trees, petrol, people, bus exhaust, just a hint of tobacco, and I know not what else. When I catch a whiff of some similar mixture here in my home town, I'm transported back to London for just that one lovely moment.

I love London and will certainly go back. My top ten? Well, number one is hardly original, I see several others have already posted it....peoplewatch in the parks. My favorite park is St. James, but I am happy in any of them.
Number Two: Stroll along Sloane St window shopping.
Number Three: Stay till they boot me out of the British Museum. Is there any place in the world with more nooks and crannies? Each trip brings new finds.
Number Four: Cross the bridges...yes, back and forth, all of them.
Number Five: A sundae in Fortnum Mason.
Number Six: A boat ride down the Thames.
Number Seven: Sit in on a court session in Old Bailey. There is really nothing quite like it.
Number Eight: Theatre!
Number Nine: The food halls.
Number Ten: Planning my next trip to London.....

Warm wishes to the generous and brave citizens of London and the UK.

Portobello Road, Harrods Food Halls, South Kensington & Knightsbridge, men in suits (never see them where I live!), last minute shopping at Heathrow, Thornton's original toffee, I could go on forever.

Wishing all the brave Londoners "Cheers".

Just two more favorites that I haven't seen mentioned here:

The Outdoor Theater in Regent's Park: I love this and plan trips around their season...

The Dog and Cat Cemetary along the north edge of Hyde Park.

HItting the street around 6 AM and finding a "caf" and having my first coffee of the day with cabbies abd news vendors and other early risers!

I'll come back, too, someday, when it's time. When I do, this is my list....

*Abbey Road (leaving my name and thoughts on the wall)
*Covent Garden (love those buskers!)
*Southbank (lots of people-watching, and a browse through the bookstalls)
*Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath, a fine view of the city
*St. James Park, sitting in a deck chair and listening to Big Ben chime
*Oxford Street shopping (especially HMV Music and Marks and Spencer)
*Boots (thank you, previous poster!)
*Big Bus Tour
*Theatre!

*and, yes, THE TUBE! To me, a symbol of safety, organization, and consideration ("mind the gap"!), it makes my travel so much easier.

I love you, London! Soldier On!

One of my favourite things about London (other than the fact that so many friends and family live here too) is that it's not only a major tourist destination but a transport hub too which means that sooo many friends from internet sites like this pass through and I get to meet them...

:D

Carolyn:
A meeting would be fun. Unfortunately, that week might be a bit hectic for us since six friends are meeting us in London. We will be in town from Oct. 3 or 4 until Oct. 29. The mob will be there from Oct. 17 until Oct. 24. Might another date suit?

vcl, I arrive on the 19th and depart on the 27th. Just a thought, if it's convenient. To leave the thread intact, my e-mail is [email protected] if you should want to write me.

I'd forgot one of my very favorite London things - riding the Docklands Railway, an elevated train, thru the Docklands area of Canary Wharf to Greenwich.

So, will any Fodorites be in London from the 19th through the 29th of August? I'd love to meet up for a pint! My DH and I will be there...

Me. I live here...
:D

Well, we'll be in London, at the Copthorne Tara in Kensington for that time -- wanna meet up for a pint?

- standing in Trafalgar Square and breathing deeply. It may sound insane but I know right then I'm in London.
- watching a trial at the Old Bailey
- buying stocking stuffers in the gift shop at the National Portrait Gallery
- sitting in the rose gardens in Regent's Park
- walking the Mall towards Buckingham Palace
- wandering through the Imperial War Museum
- checking in to the Basil Street hotel
- going to a play in the afternoon and then to another in the evening
- people-watching at Covent Garden
- pretending I own all the Impressionist paintings at the Courtauld Institute

GD, I'm assuming you won't be spending your entire trip in that one pub? :D If you'd like to, drop me an email and we can see if we can work out a meeting?

Evensong at St. Pauls
Churchill's Underground Bunker

1. Looking at Holbein's painting, "The Ambassadors", at the National Gallery (along with its many other splendors).

2. Crossing Tower Bridge at night (preferably in the rain).

3. Eating at Wagamama (the #23, yaki soba).

4. Indulging in London's lively music scene.

5. Walking around Victoria Station.

6. Pubs, pubs, pubs.

Kavey, you have mail :)